Invitae : Expands Detect Program to Offer No-Charge Genetic Testing to Pancreatic Cancer Patients

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced the availability of Detect Hereditary Pancreatic Cancer, a testing program that offers no-charge genetic testing and counseling to patients with pancreatic cancer. Genetic testing is recommended by clinicians for all pancreatic cancer patients to guide treatment choices and evaluate eligibility for clinical trials.

"Genetic information can be particularly valuable for people with pancreatic cancer, even though many of them will be diagnosed with advanced disease. For these patients, having access to information about genetic changes may help identify precision therapies or a clinical trial opportunity," said Robert Nussbaum, M.D., chief medical officer of Invitae. "We know that the risk for pancreatic cancer is elevated many-fold over the general population risk in people carrying pathogenic variants in genes associated with hereditary cancer syndromes, such as hereditary breast and ovarian cancer or Lynch syndrome, which means understanding a patient's genetics is also important for their families. By adding pancreatic cancer to our Detect testing program we are hoping to make it easier for patients to receive the testing professional guidelines recommend."

More than 56,000 patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the U.S. each year and it is the 4th leading cause of death from cancer. Pancreatic cancer is linked to changes in genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 that are associated with other types of cancer such as breast and ovarian cancer and in genes associated with Lynch syndrome. Pancreatic cancer can be difficult to diagnose in its earlier stages and professional guidelines recommend genetic testing for all pancreatic cancer patients.

The Invitae Detect programs provide no-charge testing and counseling to patients who meet eligibility criteria in specific clinical areas where genetic testing is underutilized. Through the programs, sponsors join to underwrite the cost of testing. In addition to Detect Hereditary Pancreatic Cancer, enrollment is now open for Detect programs in four other conditions: muscular dystrophy, prostate cancer, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia and lysosomal storage diseases. Sponsors of Detect Hereditary Pancreatic Cancer will be announced as they join.

In addition to testing, the Detect programs offer participants post-test genetic counseling to help them understand their test results and make more informed decisions about their health. Some programs also offer follow-up testing to family members of patients with genetic variants associated with disease to better understand their disease risks.

Invitae's network of sponsored, no-charge genetic testing programs, where the cost of testing is underwritten by sponsors, was created to address barriers to testing for patients who either do not or cannot rely on insurance coverage. Patients enroll in Invitae's sponsored testing programs through their own clinician or access a network of independent telemedicine clinicians via Invitae's website. Sponsors who sign-on to support the programs will receive de-identified information and contact information for clinicians who participate. No patient-identifiable information is shared. Participation in the programs is subject to the ordering clinician providing confirmation of patient notification and consent to sharing de-identified information.

Additional details, terms and conditions of the programs can be found at Invitae sponsored testing programs.

About Invitae
Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a leading medical genetics company, whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the benefits of genetic testing, counseling and information; and the design and benefits of the company's Detect programs. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the availability and potential benefits of earlier diagnosis and treatment; the company's history of losses; the company's ability to compete; the company's failure to manage growth effectively; the company's need to scale its infrastructure in advance of demand for its tests and to increase demand for its tests; the company's ability to use rapidly changing genetic data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions; laws and regulations applicable to the company's business; and the other risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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Laura D'Angelo
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SOURCE Invitae Corporation